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Session 1 - HAD I: LeRoy E. Doggett Memorial Session.
Oral session, Tuesday, January 06
Georgetown,

[1.02] The Paschal Moon, the Easter Calendar, and Lunar Observations in Medieval Europe

Leroy Doggett was interested in the calendar, in the motion of the Moon, and in the difficult problem of regulating a lunar calendar. The connections between these matters have long influenced the development of astronomy. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries a series of troubling lunar observations led to an increased concern with the adequacy of the existing luni-solar calendar. These calendric problems led to an interest in lunar theory which contributed directly to the rediscovery of the calculating techniques and geometrical theories of ancient astronomy. An examination of the activities of a group of English scholars will shed important light on the sources of this astronomical renaissance and its contributions to the broader recovery of Arabic and Greek science in Latin-speaking Europe.

Program listing for Tuesday